It has been a full month now since we first arrived in Bethel and we are completely moved into our new house. The community here has been very welcoming and helpful in our adjusting to life in rural Alaska. I really believe that it is the people here in Bethel that makes this place so wonderful.
My new job (Associate Pastor of Youth Outreach and Church Ministries) started almost immediately after arriving. The senior pastor and his family had to leave town for almost three weeks and I was asked to give the message all three weeks. It went very well, at least that is what my wife tells me. I have also made connections at the youth correctional facility where I will be volunteering on a regular basis as well as the high school. Overall, everything is going very well and I am very excited about the future. Speaking of jobs, Rox just got a job and started this week. Yes! What a blessing and answer to prayer.
The weather here since we have arrived has been in the 50's and 60's with rain. I can almost count on one hand the number of days that the sun has been out, but that has not stopped us from enjoying the outdoors. We have been told to get out as much as we can now, because winter will be here soon! So apparently you need to start thinking about winter here in August.
One of our favorite activities is going for walks on the tundra with Kiah, our 5 month old Newfoundland puppy. She loves the tundra which has a lot to offer. There are lakes to swim in, birds to chase, and plenty of space to run. One of her favorite activities is playing fetch with "the flying squirrel," a frisbee for dogs. She is also content watching us pick the many wild berries that the tundra has to offer. There are blueberries, salmonberries, cranberries, and blackberries, all being equally delicious, especially when mixed with ice cream! Our longest tundra walk was two and a half horizons as our guide told us. It was almost five hours round trip and we (Kiah included) could hardly walk by the time we got back, but we were blessed with many salmonberries. We also have enjoyed the abundance of fresh salmon that the Kuskokwim River has to offer. Our freezer is filling up with fresh silver salmon which are currently running up river in good numbers. I think we are going to need a bigger freezer, especially with moose and caribou season right around the corner!
All in all, I would say that life here in Bethel is going well. God has greatly blessed us so far and we are excited about all that God has in store for us in the upcoming year.
To sum up this first blog post in one sentence...
Bethel is really beginning to feel like home.
